LinkedIn can offer you clues when you’ve set forth your vision and others “get” it.

Indeed, this is what happened yesterday after I gave a brief presentation on LinkedIn best practices to the division of a company to which I was introduced.

I anticipate more reaction and interaction with them over time, so I made the initial investment of my time. Like electronic fingerprints.

A few offered to connect to me, without my asking.

I offered to connect to the rest. I tested the system by not including a note with my invitation. They responded and we are connected, in the moment while our interaction yesterday is fresh in their mind.

They will receive an on-boarding message (see that link for this really neat idea!)  from me, with a recent blog post for good measure, in the next few days. That asks them to subscribe to, or at least watch for, my weekdaily posts. I also encourage their comments back to me and other people who wade into the discussion. Then I can also @mention their name to draw them in as well.

Some sent me a message to schedule a get-to-know zoom chat and that’s always an acid test of making an impression, somehow (hopefully) leading to  engagement. I enter these types of meetups prepared, optimistically yet practically.

Some may never reply. They may not be LinkedIn-savvy or -believers. For those I may have missed making my point. In a few weeks, I will repeat my offer to connect but never badger them. Ever.

But for 20 out of 40 I addressed (and I do not know if all 40 actually attended my session), I hit ROI paydirt, networking in quite a few of the most senior of the group, and that’s a win-win in my book. This is what I call networking “up” into  a new group of enthusiastic decision-makers and valuable referrers.

My call-to-action to you: (can I make it more obvious??): What signals of success can you glean from the workings of LinkedIn when you first address a new group?

I suspect most of you will not read this far. or not reply. but for those of you who did, please share the wealth of your tips to use LinkedIn well. And thank you for that effort.